U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that the United States could bomb Iran if a deal is not reached within the next 10 days.
He made the remarks during the first-ever Board of Peace meeting in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, where he also spoke about the high cost of war.
Trump said he wants to bring “peace to the Middle East,” but cautioned that if Iran does not agree to what he described as a meaningful deal, “bad things [will] happen.”
“We may have to take it a step further, or we may not. Maybe we’re going to make a deal..,” Trump said regarding stalled nuclear negotiations.
“You’re going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days,” he added.
The comments come amid reports that the U.S. military has recently increased its air and naval presence in the Middle East, including the deployment of aircraft carriers, fighter jets and submarines.
Nuclear talks reportedly stalled following a recent round of negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, where Iran requested more time without a significant breakthrough.
Reports suggest potential U.S. targets could include Iran’s nuclear facilities, ballistic missile sites and military installations.
“Iran is a hot spot right now,” Trump said, adding: “Good talks are being had.
“It’s proven to be over the years not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran – we have to make a meaningful deal otherwise bad things happen.”
At the meeting, attended by nearly 50 world leaders in person or virtually, Trump reiterated his commitment to ending global conflicts and promoted the newly created Board of Peace. He again claimed to have halted eight wars during his time in office, even as speculation mounted that a strike on Iran could come “as soon as this weekend.”
“An easy word to say but a hard word to produce – peace,” Trump said in his opening remarks.
He added that the U.S. and other nations represented on the board are willing to invest heavily to bring peace and end ongoing conflicts.
“There’s nothing less expensive than peace,” Trump said. “You know, when you go to war, it costs you 100 times what it costs to make peace.”
“A lot of people in this room hate each other – you know, sort of natural, I guess,” he continued. “But we’re bringing love back into the room like the old days.”
